Dry Ice

Day52

Member
We head south each year about mid-January, but we have new rig with residential fridge. Because we take three days to reach the keys, we have a concern about keeping food. In the past we have done the overnight Walmart lot thing, but had lp fridge. Our idea is to pack freezer with all the food we can, and get some dry ice to keep things cold along the way. This way we wouldn't even run the fridge 'till we get there. Am I crazy or would this work? I can't imagine it would hurt anything, but as I said this is first for us. Thanks for your input.
 

pegmikef

Well-known member
Might work. We once used dry ice to haul a cooler full of frozen brisket from Texas to North Carolina (2 1/2 days). It was a good quality well insulated cooler and we never opened it until arrival. When we arrived, the dry ice had all but disappeared, but all the briskets were still frozen. Given that your fridge is probably even better insulated, it should last. Don't scrimp on the dry ice though. Good Luck!
 

farside291

Well-known member
Oops I posted wrong, try again. Just curious, why dry ice? Your fridge is powered by its own inverter and battery. As long as your tow vehicle is running, the battery for the fridge is kept charged and the fridge stays on. Even staying overnight not plugged into shore power I would think the battery would last through the night, especially when the fridge door stays shut.
 

jnbhobe

Well-known member
I would do as Farside said but I would shut off the inverter at night to save the battery for heat or lights then run it while traveling and the truck is charging the batteries.
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
I would do as Farside said but I would shut off the inverter at night to save the battery for heat or lights then run it while traveling and the truck is charging the batteries.

X2. Plus be careful with dry ice in confined spaces. It is frozen carbon dioxide so when it's "melting" it's gassing off invisible and odorless CO2.


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Bobby A

Well-known member
X2. Plus be careful with dry ice in confined spaces. It is frozen carbon dioxide so when it's "melting" it's gassing off invisible and odorless CO2.


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Yes, X's2,
We traveled one time with dry ice and it made the dog sick and I think we may got light headed until we discovered it was the dry ice, we took the cooler with dry ice and tied it to the roof rack on a jeep and all went back to normal.
 

TomSt

Past New Jersey Chapter Leader
I would not recommend using dry ice in a sealed fridge. In a cooler the gas has room to leak out. in your fridge as the pressure builds up there is a chance to have the door 'blow' open and contents spill out. Also if you do use it be extremely careful it is cold!!
 

mountainlovers76

Mississippi Chapter Leaders
I would do as Farside said but I would shut off the inverter at night to save the battery for heat or lights then run it while traveling and the truck is charging the batteries.

Unless Heartland has changed the setup since I bought my coach last year, you actually have a dedicated battery for the residential refer. I would not turn off the inverter to the refer since the battery for the coach itself (lights, furnace, etc..) is a different battery. You can check to be sure but all the ones I have seen with residential refers have two batteries.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Units with the residential refrigerator ship with 2 batteries, but they share the overall load of the inverter and other components in the coach. The 2nd battery is not dedicated to the refrigerator.

If you stay at RV parks on the way, you won't have to do anything special. You should be ok boondocking for 1 night. The next day, while towing, the batteries will get a partial recharge from the truck. Don't know if you could boondock two nights in a row though.
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
I would look into getting a 100-200 watt solar setup in your situation, to keep your batteries up while parked w/o hookups.

They are quite affordable now ($400) and your rig will not be a total loss system while stopped or dry camping with that refer. I presently have 200 watts with two batteries. I plan to add two more 100 watt panels and two more batteries soon, for a total of 400 watts and four batteries.

http://www.renogy-store.com/mobile/Product.aspx?ProductCode=KIT-RV100D-VS

My TV does not do a great job of fully charging the house batteries while driving, but with the solar panels I receive a great charge while on the road as well.

I have an onboard Onan 5500, but only run it when necessary for microwave, A/C, etc. Trace
 
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donr827

Well-known member
Unless you are bringing food from home I would late till I get to the Keys to buy groceries. Key Largo and Marathon both have Publix stores.
Don
 

Day52

Member
We will be there at Marathon for 6 weeks. We like to take what we can with us-especially meat. We could put everything in coolers and use dry or other ice if people think it is unsafe to put dry ice in fridge. I am almost certain that we couldn't make it with the battery/inverter, but I was hoping someone had tried something similar and could let us know how it went. We might stop at a CG if weather is bad enough we can't fill water here before or it is so cold we could use the extra electric heat, but that is unlikely because we try to make it south of Atlanta the first night. Only once have we had freezing weather that far south. The solar idea is something for the future for sure. Had a small solar unit on a Winnebago motor home that really helped. Thanks for ideas. Certainly some "food for thought."
 

Cjackg

Well-known member
We will be there at Marathon for 6 weeks. We like to take what we can with us-especially meat. We could put everything in coolers and use dry or other ice if people think it is unsafe to put dry ice in fridge. I am almost certain that we couldn't make it with the battery/inverter, but I was hoping someone had tried something similar and could let us know how it went. We might stop at a CG if weather is bad enough we can't fill water here before or it is so cold we could use the extra electric heat, but that is unlikely because we try to make it south of Atlanta the first night. Only once have we had freezing weather that far south. The solar idea is something for the future for sure. Had a small solar unit on a Winnebago motor home that really helped. Thanks for ideas. Certainly some "food for thought."
So where are you camping in Marathon? We will be there for a week starting Jan 18, right after the Tampa RV Supershow, then near Key West for a week.
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
From my experience using the TV to maintain the batteries while traveling I wouldn't worry. This past spring we were dry camping at a USFS CG planning to stay for 4 nights knowing we'd have enough power for that duration with my two deep cycle batteries. The spot was so nice that we decided to stay longer but it turned colder (we were in MT) and
the DW liked a little furnace time to take off the chill each morning. Well so much for having enough power from the batteries! So that we could continue our stay I used the TV connection and could bring my batteries back up after an hour of run time. Therefore if you're driving ALL day I don't see why you wouldn't have enough to boondock overnight until you make your destination (unless you have the **** batteries your dealer gave you).
 

TandT

Founding Utah Chapter Leaders-Retired
Travelin2,
Are you saying you have the residential refer? I don't, but rather the Dometic two way and I was experiencing the same battery drain as you, especially when running the furnace at night. Now bear in mind, the residential refer is going to require more battery above and beyond the circumstances you and I have experienced. That would be an uneasy feeling for me, as I like to be self sufficient when in the rig with the possibilty of having no hookups. (Think rest stops, overnighters, power outages or mechanical failures, especially in inclimate weather.)

That is why, I personally will not go with the residential refrigerator option. It just doesn't work for me. If you have your rig delivered to a RV park and rarely leave, yes then you are golden with that upgrade.

I don't understand why many resist going with a small solar system, just to keep house batteries charged? As I said earlier, especially with that refer, it would be a no-brainer for me. The cost is now very reasonable and a self-install is very easy for most folks. Trace
 

travelin2

Pennsylvania Chapter Leaders-retired
Travelin2,
Are you saying you have the residential refer? I don't, but rather the Dometic two way and I was experiencing the same battery drain as you, especially when running the furnace at night. Now bear in mind, the residential refer is going to require more battery above and beyond the circumstances you and I have experienced. That would be an uneasy feeling for me, as I like to be self sufficient when in the rig with the possibilty of having no hookups. (Think rest stops, overnighters, power outages or mechanical failures, especially in inclimate weather.)

That is why, I personally will not go with the residential refrigerator option. It just doesn't work for me. If you have your rig delivered to a RV park and rarely leave, yes then you are golden with that upgrade.

I don't understand why many resist going with a small solar system, just to keep house batteries charged? As I said earlier, especially with that refer, it would be a no-brainer for me. The cost is now very reasonable and a self-install is very easy for most folks. Trace

Negative. We have the 12 cuft Norcold refer. We also will not consider the residential refer. We boondock or stay at CG without hookups too often.

My point was if the OP was only boondocking overnight after driving all day, he should have ample battery (with two high quality deep cycle batteries) power to make it thru the night. I've drawn my two batteries down to the point I get the error message on the refer that the batteries are too low to operate the refer when dry camping usually after 4-5 days. My F350 will bring my batteries back to full charge usually in less than an hour at an idle.

So to repeat myself the OP's TV should be able to supply power to the inverter and recharge the batteries during an all day drive to their next stop.

As solar becomes less expensive it becomes more viable for the dry camper for sure. I was to a RV seminar on electrical components last month and they presented info on adding solar panels to your rig. If I remember correctly they said some of the Forest River units they sell are coming prepped for solar add-ons????


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